National Republican., 1887-05-25
INTERSTATE COMMERCE.
Commissioners Listening to Complaints
From Competing Roads.


The Boston and Albany Railroad Company,
by Its general traffic manager, has filed with
tho interstate commerce commission CON.
plant against the Boston and Lowell Rlilroad
Company, the Concord Railroad Company,
tho Northern Railroad Company, and the
Grand Trunk Railroad Company. charging
that these companies, under the name Of tho
National Dispatch Line, have ia
tued schedules Of Joint rates TO De-
S SsS ana other n oogpoon gSns On SS With ss Soos
and Albany Company aud It's connections,
which ore less than those OF the latter COM
panies TO the same points, while at the same
q part Of the roads In the National Dispaton
Line, viz, the Boston and Lowell, Concord,
Northern, and Central Vermont Railroad Com
and other intermediate points tnan the Dis
patch line charge3 to terminal points; that Is,
higher rates for the short haul than for the
long haul on the same line In the same dlrec
tlon on the five upper classes OF freight. The
Boston and Albany Company also complains
that the Boston and Lowell Company. the
Central Vermont Company, and Ogdensburg
and Lake Champlain Company have made
arrangements ny which the steamship COM
pany operated, by the ogdensburg and Lake
Chomplain Company has Issued tariff from
Boston to Jake ports In the United States,
where it comes In competition with the Boston
and Albany road at q less rate than is charged
from Boston TO ogdensburg and other points
Boston in the same direction.
Mr. Green, Of Buffalo, representing the Lake
Shore and Michigan Southern railroadI and the
Pittsburg and Lake Eric Railroad Companies,
yesterday made an argument before the COM
mission In support Of the petitions OF those
companies for relief under the fourth section
Of the act.
MI John Scott, as attorney for the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad Company, said he had never
known an application 50 indefinite as that
leave the companies at liberty TO fix their local
rates at an indefinite number OF points without
reference to geographical location. The ques-
tion presented was whether a road which
nections short of 10 miles In one direction
and 600-odd in another should be relieved
from the cooperation of the general law to en-
able II to compete with roads which can reach
l New York and Boston by shorter routes. II
| was not case which would. upon first hear
| the fourth section.
| Mr.. John Newell. president and manager oi
| the Lake Shore company and president of the
| Pittsburg and Lake Erie company, took the
l stand and was examined relative TO the line oi
/ routes OF these roads and their tariffs.
Mr.. ID. g. Gray, OF the western division of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company. opposed the
| application. In answer to question by Com
| missioner Walker, he said that the rates OF tht
| Pennsylvania railroad had been adjusted II
result up to the present time had been satisfac
tory Possibly exceptional circumstances nigh
| arise to cause complaint, but he thought tht
railroads must give and take in this matter, aud
the law should be fairly tested.
Vice President Thompson, OF the Pennsyl
vania company, said that the fourth section o
| the law was In cases beneficial tot the railroads
Here, for instance, It prevented long road lik
that represented by Mr. Newell from entering
into competition with short direct roads.